Have you ever had a week where afterwards you stepped back and just said, “WOW, God… You are amazing!” In an amazing way… over this last week I was able to see this so clearly on display. I was able to see faith-driven businesses taking the gospel to unreached people groups seeing the good news of Jesus Christ go forth geographically.

This month, I would like to draw your attention to the following brief read written by Larry Sharp. Larry, a long-time missional business founder and IBEC Ventures missional business coach, agrees with me that we must abandon the notion that charity is sacred and investments are secular. Since investment capital is the lifeblood of business enterprise, we believe that investments, not donations, are the primary component needed to catalyze impact.

One of the most beloved and theologically rich Christmas carols is “O Holy Night.” The powerful lyrics of the third stanza boldly proclaim: “Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease.” What if this isn’t just a nice thought we contemplate at Christmas time, but an invitation for us, as Christian investors and ambassadors of God’s kingdom, to actively take a stand for justice in the way we position our investment portfolios?

Meet a Tanzanian company that provides natural skin care products for all people, but especially for those whose skin has been affected by working daily in the sun, bathing in dirty water, and the resulting irritations. Most people in Tanzanian villages and interior areas do not have soap, petroleum jelly, and lotions, and those that exist are chemically based.

You’ve heard about The Great Commission—Jesus telling his followers to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel”— and you know of many wise and courageous efforts to go into all nations through the centuries to tell the world about Jesus. But have you heard about Great Commission companies?

A land-locked, eastern European country of 2.5 million bordering Ukraine and Romania, Moldova is relatively young as a country and suffers from economic, constitutional, and other political crises. Nearly three quarters of its workers leave the country to find work, often for months or even years at a time. God called co-founder Anatol to lead this company in bringing light and hope to the families of Moldova.

A wonderful example of economic development is Dignity Coconuts, a missional business located in the Philippines. Dignity’s story illustrates the power of investments to foster development combined with bringing abundant blessing to the village inhabitants. The investors are able to partner with God in sowing seeds, doing good work, and experiencing a harvest of righteousness.

Financial advisors may have warned you previously that you must protect the seed (your assets) for next year’s harvest (future growth opportunities). Christian investors or businesspeople are typically the first to express concern over deploying too much seed, thinking that they must be “good stewards.” As stewards of God’s resources, we must invest in ways that accomplish His eternal purposes.